Some say the news is all doom and gloom, and, for the most part, they’re right. People respond to controversy and negativity, but there is always room to highlight the positive things in the world. Throughout the year, we’ve compiled a list of positive stories that prove that construction workers aren’t just the cat-calling, hard headed men that we’re so often portrayed as.

If you know of any others, please share with us in the comments!

1. They Stop People from Being Killed

In November, the University of California, Merced Campus was under attack by a man wielding a knife. Four people were stabbed in the attack, and many say that Byron Price, a construction worker remodeling a waiting room at the college at the time, saved one of the victim’s lives. When he heard yelling, CBS news reports, he ran toward the commotion and when he got there, the suspect attacked him and ran away before being able to do anymore damage to the first victim. All four of the victims were treated at local hospitals and survived, but the suspect was later killed by police.

2. They Save Kittens from Dumpsters

When construction worker Kelly Goranson heard some meowing coming from a nearby dumpster, he found a roughly six week out kitten that couldn’t move due to hardened paint and concrete. Goranson was then able to get enough concrete off of the kitten’s paws in order for little Kelly, the name given to the kitten, to walk again. She was then taken to a vet to be treated and is now with a foster family until a permanent home can be found.

3. They Help Their Neighbors in Need

Ken and Susan Sylianou, longtime restaurateurs in Michigan who fed thousands of needy people over the years. After a tree had fallen on their restaurant the previous spring, their roof had still not been fixed, which caused roof leaks and mold growth in the restroom. When Greg Tittle, owner of Tittle Construction, saw the damage, he couldn’t walk away from it. He completely remodeled the restroom for no charge.

4. They Stop People from Committing Suicide

After reportedly having an argument with her husband, a Chinese woman decided that she would end her life by jumping off a roof of a building. Just before she jumps, several construction workers grab her and pull her away from the ledge to safety. It gets a little intense, as she’s just dangling over the edge for a while as the workers try to pull her up. It’s an incredible video.

5. They Support Sick Children

A 2 year-old named Vivian in St. Louis was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia earlier this year. Every day, she would look out her hospital window and wave until one of the construction workers that were working on a renovation across the street would wave back. One day, Vivian didn’t have to wait for a wave back, when a couple of iron workers wrote her a note in a steel support beam. Sometimes little messages can make all the difference in the world.

6. They Help the Police Subdue a Suspected Larcenist

After a suspected larcenist tried to flee from a police officer, two Boston construction workers helped bring the man into custody. Ned Flood and Robert Doyle were later given an honor by the Boston Police Department for their heroics in the arrest. The arrest was captured on CCTV footage, which you can watch below:

Demolition by implosion videos are always fun to watch. Adding an element of water makes them even more dramatic, though it’s probably not great for the ecosystem. Late last week, a one mile long, 23 year-old bridge in China was imploded in front of a crowd of spectators and caught on camera.

As the US is experiencing our own natural disaster, by way of Hurricane Florence, China is being hit badly by a Typhoon Mangkhut. According to Independent, the storm has caused a crane, which was being used on a 22-story housing development, to crumble. That collapse was caught on camera by neighbors.

It’s hard to believe that it has been 17 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. I came to the realization this week that many of the men and women that are about to enter the workforce will never have a true understanding about how the country felt that day and how it responded. New York is still responding to this day and, even though the skyline will never quite be the same, there are new buildings in their place paying tribute to those who lost their lives that day.

Astronomy and the planets and solar systems within it, are a source of wonderment and awe for many people. Planetariums, which are educational facilities for the hands-on and interactive learning about astrology, can be found across the world. China is currently building a pretty spectacular planetarium in Shanghai, the country’s biggest city.

As America’s infrastructure is continually described as “crumbling,” I thought it would be a good time to take a look back to how highways were paved around 70 years ago. A lot has changed in the past seven decades, but you might be surprised by how similar paving still is.

ConstructionJunkie.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.